Line marking device



April 1951 H. c. SWEET ET AL 2,549,722

' LINE MARKING DEVICE Filed Oct. 12, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. Hara/a C. Jwaefa y W/ ///am /I. Cb/fiflan ATTORNEYS April 17, 1951 Filed Oct. 12, 1946 H. c. SWEET ETAL LINE MARKING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Hqr /a 615M261 BY W////am H. Chi/man ATTOPNE Y5 April 17, 1951 H. c. SWEET ET AL LINE MARKING DEVICE Filed Oct. 12, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Ill 2:10.

' INVENTOR. Hara/a 6. Jwee/ a iv ArraR/VES' Patented Apr. 17, 1951 4 UNITED "STATE s PATENT OFFICE LINE MARKING DEVICE Harold 0. Sweet and William A. Chilman, Detroit,

' Mich., assignors to H. C. Sweet Company, De-

troit, Mich., a partnership composed of Harold 0. Sweet and William A. .Chilman V Application October 12, 1946, Serial No. 702,916

in the art upon reference to the following de.-. scription and the accompanying drawings, and

Fig. 1 is a side elevationwith parts in section;-

in which:

Fig.2 is a plan view of the lower end of th! device,

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4--4 of Fig. 1, Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 2, s

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view. taken on the line 1-'l of Fig 6,

Fig. 8 is a detail side elevational view showin the machine riding over a bump,

Fig. 9 is'a'detail rear end view showingthe machine riding over a bump raising one side only off'the machine, I

Fig. 10 is an elevational view showing the machine laid down when not in use, and

Fig. 11 is an other elevational view showing the operation of the machine when backing up.

As indicated in the drawings. the marker comprises a tubular handle ll] of relatively large di-e ameter constituting a reservoir or fountain for the marking fluid, usually a paint. This is closed at the upper end by a plate IDA to which is fixed a goose-neck handle II. The plate IOA is provided with a suitable plug IOB which closes the filling opening, and a vent opening in said plate is preferably regulatably closed by a pet cock I JC.

Pivoted on handle II is a lever I 2 by means of which maybe operated a rod [3 extending through plate IDA to and through fountain It! to the lower end of the latter where it is sharpened and constitutes a needle valve BA for the 'nozzle M, the latter being fixed to the tapered lower end of fountain ID. A suitable spring [3B tends to thrust the rod l3 downwardly toward valveclosed position.

Near the lower or nozzle end, the tube I0 is provided with trunnions 15 providing means for pivoting to the tube the brush carrying assembly or car, as by pins or screws ISA.

1 Claim. (01. 91-12) 2 This assembly or car consists of'side' plates 20 fixed together by cross plates 20A which cross plates also serve as means for holding a brush 2| which in normal operation is spaced a short distance behind the nozzle l4. Brush 2| is pref erably of the form shown in Fig. 7, that is, it is E-shaped in plan with the center and side tongues 2|A and 2IB preferably of somewhat stifierbristles than the rest of the brush, in order to spread the paint or other marking fluid that is deposited on the floor or pavement ahead of the brush. Preferably the bristles of this brush generally forward of the dotted line X are constructed to spread the paint while those bristles to the rear of dotted line X are constructedto smooth down the paint. Usuallythis is accom.-'

plished by making the forward bristles stiffer The brush portion forward of this dotted line X which serve 'to spread than the rear bristles.

the paint are so assembled to provide a space or open channels ZIC which converge rearwardly as shown in Fig. 7. The paint, when deposited as'shown, is spread laterally to both sides of the tongue 2 IA and tends to accumulate to some 'eX- tent in the pockets 2 lD. The paint'is spread outwardly to cover substantially the entire space between the side plates 22, but to further facili-.-"

tate the spreading of the paint and to obviate the tendency of the central part of the strip becomingstarved, the paint is caused to also flow toward the center from said pockets 21D by reason of the channels ZIC. This particular brush construction attains a very uniform spreading of the paint or other marking liquid for the full width of the brush and a uniform smoothing of said paint by the bristles at the rear of g'the brush. Oneeach of plates 20 are carried the edge limiting plates or strips 22 and these are so mounted as to be freely movable up or down and thus to contact the surface being marked.

The brush carrying assembly is also provided with wheels or rollers 23 carried on the ends of an axle 23A extending through the plates 20 below the screws I5A and serving to support the plates and end of fountain I0.

Normally the plates 22 substantially meet or contact with the lower edge of side plates 20. However, when one side of the other rides over a bump the other side of the machine has a tendency to rise, and therefore these plates 22 are supported to be independently movable vertically so that the plates 22 on both sides of the machine will tend to ride on the floor or pavement surface at all times; Also when one side of the machine passes over a depression in the floor or pavement, the plate 22 associated with that side of the machine falls by gravity into said depression. Also as shown in Fig. 8, it will be seen that these side plates may easily rock on riding over a small bump and will tend to remain in contact with the pavement when the wheels ride over a bump which momentarily lifts the whole machine.

7 It may be here noted that the brush 2| is closely adjacent to the wheels 23, and thus when following a curve, the brush closely tracks the wheels and most of the side sweep is eliminated.

The machine may be laid down as illustrated by Fig. 10, the carriage resting on the ground at its lower rear corner, as the barrel or tubu--' lar handle l engages the cross. plates 20A, and

thus the brush is raised ofi the ground? This zle end of said reservoir, said nozzle projecting is advantageous as with each use of the ma.- chine, it is desirable to clean the brush, and thus the cleaning liquid is free to drain off. the bristles, leaving same clean and in proper condition for further use.

. In the operation of this machine, the paint orother marking fluid sometimes fails to flow freely, due usually to the fact that a lump in the paint momentarily prevents the free flow thereof, or due to some extreme irregularity in the pavement, the paint is unevenly applied... With the present machine, it is very easy to back up the machine and retrace the path to insure proper application of the paint. This is done by raising the handle. so that the forward end of said handle engages the axle 23A, and then fur ther raising the handle as illustrated by Fig.- 11., which raises the brush off the pavement permit ting the machine to be backed up without smear ing or, brushing such paint. as has already been laid down, Of course, the valve 13A is closed when backing up.

As shown by the dotted line position of handle. H1 in Fig. 1, it will be evident that the machine is readily adjusted for easy operation by operators of difierent. stature.

In, the normal operation of the. device, it is. pushed ahead of the operator with the brush assembly trailing the nozzle l4 and as the coating liquid is permitted to flow upon the surface to be marked, it is to a. considerable extent divided by the tongue ZIA of the brush and spread evenly. the width of. the brush. The limiting plates 22- will prevent spread laterally beyond the brush;

a 4 so as to produce a sharply defined stripe or band of the coating fluid.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains, that various modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of this invention or from the scope of the appended claim.

We claim:

A line marker for fioors or other surfaces consisting of a tubular member constituting a reservoir adapted to contain a line marking fluid such as paint, and also adapted to serve as an operating handle, said member terminating at its forward end in'a nozzle, means carried thereby to control the flow of fluid through said nozzle, a brush carrier pivotally mounted at the nozbeyond the pivot point, said carrier comprising side plates and spaced cross plates arranged intermediatev the ends of said side plates, supporting wheels for said carrier, said wheels being carried upon an axle extending through said side plates near the forward ends of the latter and; in substantially vertical alignment with the said pivot point, said pivot point being spaced vertically from said axle to allow the reservoir handie to swing through a limited are, a brush supported between said cross plates, said reservoir handle when swung beyond said limited are adapted to lift said carrier and brush by striking one of said cross plates and swinging the carrier upwardly about. the rear ends of. the side: plates as a fulcrum or by contacting the nozzle with the axle and lifting the carrier upon'thej wheels and axle as a fulcrum; "j

' HAROLD C. SWEET.

WILLIAM A, CHILMAN.

REFERENCES CIT-ED The following references are of record in" the file of this patent: v I I UNITED STATES PATENTS Date. 

